Census Day is April 1, 2020, and that’s right around the corner!

BBP was honored to be asked to participate in the City of Boise’s Local Complete the Count Committee. I’ve been meeting monthly with other community leaders to create a plan to ensure everyone in our city is counted and feels safe and valued throughout the process.

Health clinics. Fire departments. Schools. Even roads and highways. The census can shape many different aspects of your community.*

The census is the official count of the U.S. population that occurs once every ten years. A complete and accurate count is essential for Idaho, as it helps determine where federal funds go for crucial services and programs we all rely on such as Medicare, Headstart, Reduced School Lunches, transportation grants, and much more. As someone who is passionate about equal access to social services, I can’t speak enough about why the census is so important.

For every person counted in the census, Idaho will receive approximately $1,475 in federal funding annually, or $14,750 over a decade.

Beginning on March 12, 2020, each physical address will receive an invitation from the U.S. Census Bureau to complete their census form. You can respond online, by phone, by mail, or in person. Each form contains 10 questions and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Every employee takes an oath to protect your personal information for life. By law, the Census Bureau cannot release any identifiable information about you, your home, or your business, even to law enforcement agencies. That's protected under Title 13 of the U.S. Code.*

The census is safe and secure. By law, the information you share is completely confidential for up to 72 years. This means that no one can access or identify any personal information you share about yourself or members of your household until long after this census is documented (2092 to be exact). You will not be asked to provide your social security number or your citizenship status.

Safety, security, and trust are so important to BBP when we think about the vulnerable populations we serve. I am looking forward to the next many weeks of having conversations with community members. I am committed to ensuring everyone I meet understands the value of the Census and that their identity is truly protected. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.

*When preparing this message, I knew that the experts could say it better than me, so I pulled stats from 2020census.gov and leveraged the resources provided by Tom Laws and the City’s Complete the Count Committee chairpeople.

Remember to complete the census by April 2020. Everyone counts. Learn more at treasurevalleycensus.com